January 12, 2022 - Meet the SEAtoday team + dinner on Lumen Field

Hello Saturday.

January 22 2022

Hey Emerald City, Alina + Gabe here. Between the two of us, we get the privilege of sharing local news, events, and conversations with readers in Seattle daily — here, and on social.

After three-ish months of bringing you SEAtoday, we thought we should formally introduce ourselves. Consider this us going in for a fist bump, then switching to a handshake, then settling on a hug.

Say hello to Alina Hunter-Grah + Gabe Guarente | Photo by SEAtoday staff

Meet Alina 🫐

Q: Describe your perfect day in Seattle in the length of a tweet.

A: Grab a Rubenstein’s bagel to go. Head out to the boat dock. Spend the day sailing in the Sound with family and a few beers. Then find a nice patio for dinner afterwards.

Q: You’re taking someone on a date in Seattle. Where are you going?

A: If we’re talking about a dinner date, The Pink Door. Its crostini is stunning. But otherwise, I like to explore. Day trip to tide pools, anyone?

Q: What was the last thing you did downtown?

A: Ha! Well, I live downtown, so most of the things I do are downtown. But I did take a long walk during our first snow day and got a pain au chocolat + cappuccino from Le Panier.

Meet Gabe 🕺

Q: If you were taking someone on a tour around Seattle, where are the three places you’re going?

A: I know it tends to be touristy, but Pike Place really does make me happy — particularly quirkier gems like the Giant Shoe Museum. Then it’s over to the vibrant Chinatown-International District for lunch, before hopping a water taxi to West Seattle to take in spectacular Alki beach views — and maybe a whale sighting, if we’re lucky.

Q: If Seattle has one specific dish, what would it be?

A: Every Seattleite no doubt has a favorite pho spot. Run by one of the OG families, Pho Bac Sup Shop in Little Saigon is my personal fave.

Q: In your opinion, what’s the unofficial Seattle mascot?

A: The Fremont Troll: shaggy, weird, loveable.

Now that we’re all BFFs, use the buttons below to share this story with your friends in Seattle who (somehow) haven’t met us yet.

EVENTS

Today

Banned! | Wed., Jan. 12 | 7-9 p.m. | SIFF Film Center + virtual | $15+ | The first in a five-part series that discusses history’s most provocative films starts in the silent era. 🎥
Jonathan Evison with Robert Sindelar | Wed., Jan. 12 | 7 p.m. | Virtual | Free | Third Place Books hosts this online talk with author Evison for his new novel “Small World.” 📚

Thursday

MONATIK: The USA Tour | Thurs., Jan. 13 | 9 p.m. | The Showbox | $67+ | Eurovision fans may recognize this Ukrainian singer, songwriter, dancer + composer who opened the first semifinal in 2017.
Town Music: Verona Quartet with Joshua Roman | Thurs., Jan. 13 | 7:30 p.m. | The Great Hall + virtual | $20+ | The award-winning string quartet performs a piece commissioned from Indian-American composer Reena Esmail. 🎻

Friday

Whose Live Anyway? | Fri., Jan. 14 | 8 p.m. | The Moore Theatre | $38+ | Join the current cast of the Emmy-nominated show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” for a night of improvised skits and songs.
Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer | Fri., Jan. 14 | 7:20 p.m. | Seattle Rep’s Bagley Wright Theater | $17+ | This one-woman show explores the life of the civil rights activist. 🎟️

Saturday

Bert Kreicher: The Berty Boy Relapse Tour | Sat., Jan. 15 | 7 + 10 p.m. | McCaw Hall | $34 | The comedian + podcast host — who often performs shirtless — tells his wild, hilarious tales to Seattle.
Fresh Prince of Capitol Hill | Sat., Jan. 15 | 9 p.m. | Neumos | It’s a hip-hop dance party, with some serious retro vibes. 🎶

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

50+ MORE JANUARY EVENTS

Note: COVID-19 protocols are changing rapidly to curb the spread of the Omicron variant in Seattle. Please make sure to check event listing pages + venue websites for the most up-to-date information.

NEWS NOTES

Weather

55º | Showers | 80% chance of rain

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 7:54 a.m.
Set: 4:41 p.m.

Announced

Russell Wilson isn’t the only one who can cook at Lumen Field. Tickets go on sale at noon today for the third round of Field to Table dinners, where rumbling stomachs can delight in meals prepared by acclaimed local chefs right on the turf. The series runs from Tues., Feb. 1-Sun., Feb. 20. 🍽️

Coming Soon

A new space for neurodiverse young adults is in the works for Capitol Hill Station. Nonprofit Summit Community Center is planning to open a facility this fall at 1830 Broadway that will include a kitchen for cooking and life skills development + room for exercise and arts classes. (Capitol Hill Blog)

Opening

Okay, who needs a laugh? Right, all of us. It’s time to yuk it up with The Crocodile’s new comedy club + movie theater Here-After, which opens tomorrow night. The 100-seat capacity space will host touring comics, live podcast tapings, and films, with a late-night bar serving till 2 a.m.

State

Yesterday, Gov. Jay Inslee delivered his annual State of the State address. In the speech, Inslee urged the legislature to take action on a number of issues like homelessness, educational gaps, and climate change. On the last point, he mentioned Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena as an environmentally friendly project to emulate.

Film

Ready for your closeup, Seattle? The trailer for “Kimi” — Steven Soderbergh’s new thriller filmed on location around the city — just dropped. The movie stars Zoë Kravitz as a voice stream interpreter who believes she hears audio of a murder. It streams on HBO Max starting Thurs., Feb. 10. 🎬 (Variety)

Community

King County recently announced that it will give $1.9 million in grants to local festival + event producers as part of its Revive & Thrive Initiative. Among the largest festivals receiving funds are the Capitol Hill Block Party, PrideFest, and Seafair — though there is money set aside for smaller operations, too.

Health

Those looking to get a COVID-19 vaccination — including booster shots — can head to the Boys & Girls Clubs in Wallingford tomorrow from 1:30-7 p.m. The nonprofit is hosting pop-up clinics at four of its locations throughout January. No appointments needed.

Ranked

Money never sleeps around here. According to a recent report, the Seattle metro area experienced the highest cost of living increase in the US from 2010-2020. Costs over that decade saw a 23.2% total increase, with housing prices the primary driver of that trend. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Development

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Ballard will be converting its property at 5710 22nd Ave. SW into two apartment buildings. When completed, there will be over 200 market-rate apartments and 80 affordable units aimed at families of four earning $69,420 or less. The church itself will be in a new ground-level space. 🏢 (My Ballard)

DYK

Did you know the Seattle-Tacoma area was well represented in the college football title game Monday? Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo — who had the dramatic, game-winning interception for the Bulldogs to beat Alabama — grew up in Tacoma + played some ball at Bellarmine Prep High School. 🏈 (The News Tribune)

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#SEATODAY

Representing in the other Washington

📸 @repjayapal

Here’s a young, local artist on the rise. West Seattle High School grad Hannah Shelfer won 2021’s Congressional Art Competition — and now has her artwork up at the US Capitol.

District rep Pramila Jayapal gave a major shoutout for the piece entitled “The Matriarchs,” which was inspired by the film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Shelfer is currently a student at Cornell majoring in food science.

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THE WRAP

Editor’s Pick: Well, now that we’ve been officially introduced, just wanted to give you some bonus insight into my world. I live in White Center where there are so many great bars + restaurants. If you haven’t had a pupusa yet at Salvadorean Bakery, please put that on your to-do list. And then you can make a day of it at nearby Southgate Roller Rink.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Here are some Seattle restaurants to fit those New Year’s resolutions.